Christmas Past Brings Christmas Present

Christmas Past brings Christmas Present

A Past very much like today. A time when many had lost their jobs in an economic downturn. A harsh time when many had lost hope for a merry Christmas.

During those cold, dark days, some despaired of providing food for their families, let alone gifts under the Christmas tree.

But this is also a story about Christmas Present, because Past collided with the Present at Rowland High School, bringing the gift of the holiday spirit.

Like the spirit from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, the Past presented itself in the lobby of the local high school.

The unidentified man insisted on talking directly to Principal Robbie Robinson. The busy principal had been on his way to supervise the lunch period, but he made time for the insistent parent.

"I thought his family had a problem with the school or a teacher," Robinson recalled.

But as the patient principal pondered the mysterious man's mission, the Christmas Past slowly unfolded.

"He explained that he had lost his job 10 years ago, while his daughter was a senior here," Robinson said. "He said he didn't have any money for gifts that year - everything had to go toward necessities."

An anonymous donor at the school found about the family's plight and gave his daughter a Christmas card with $100 in it.

"He said he never forgot that Christmas card and the unknown benefactor that turned their holiday around. And with the recession, he wanted to help another family out," Robinson said.

The Christmas spirit only asked to remain anonymous. He presented the Rowland principal with a new Christmas card containing $100. The administrator promised to pass the gift on to a local family.

"It just goes to show that whenever you do a kind thing for someone, it comes around later. I think this wonderful spirit is part of the culture here," Robinson concluded.

And like the Dicken's classic, Christmas Past conspired with Christmas Present to make a needy family's Christmas Future that much brighter.